Panasonic W580 gains HDR recording mode

Panasonic's affordable W580 offers a solid feature set.

By Hillary Grigonis, Last updated on: 7/23/2016

For about $70 more than the V380, the Panasonic W580 offers a twin camera, HDR recording and higher frame rate, though skimps a bit on the zoom with 50x instead of 62x.

Recording 1080p HD video at 60 fps, footage from the W580 should be smooth, not choppy. The 10 fps increase over the V380 likely won't be very obvious, but the higher frame rate usually translates into smoother footage. A second camera can record picture-in-picture videos without any editing later, instantly adding a second box of footage to the primary video. That can be helpful for recording the videographer's reaction or just getting a different perspective of the same moment.

Panasonic also added a HDR recording mode, which helps to get better results in scenes with a lot of contrast. Shooting inside a room that has a window, for example, is a high contrast scenario that could be boosted a bit with the HDR feature.

The camcorder is fairly compact, weighing a little over a half pound. A tilting 3" touchscreen shows what's being recorded and also offers access to most of the camera's settings.

While the Panasonic W580 doesn't have any huge standout features, it is a solid camcorder for the price. The HDR option is a nice addition for a consumer camcorder, and paired with the 50x zoom and twin camera, makes for an enticing option in a competitive market.

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